1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hand-operated, wheeled carrier for transporting large-sized plates, commonly of rectangular shape, individually or in small bundles to places which cannot conveniently be reached by trucks, cranes or other kinds of motor-driven load handling facilities. Typically, a wheeled plate carrier of this kind is used for moving large-sized building boards from a supply delivered by a truck or crane to places within a building where they are to be installed or worked.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A great variety of hand-operated, wheeled vehicles have been suggested in the past for moving objects, which are difficult for a single man to carry not only because of their weight but also because of their unwieldiness. Certain vehicles of this kind are especially adapted to carry large-sized plates of various materials and comprise a stand, on which the plates may be placed in nearly erect positions with their lower edges resting on some kind of brackets and be prevented from falling by being leaned against an upper portion of the stand. Frequently these stands are elongate and adapted to receive the plates on one longitudinal side only. In known forms of such plate carriers the stand is commonly provided with two fixed wheels in permanent contact with the floor or ground and with at least one additional support, whereby it may occupy a fully stable position of rest on a substantially level surface. The additional support may be a foot, which can be lifted in some manner when the stand is to be moved, or a caster, which permits steering of the plate carrier also if remaining in contact with the floor when the stand is moved.
Common to all prior plate carriers of the kind just mentioned is that, in spite of the fact that the plates are carried in an almost upright position, they have a considerable width and always run on at least two wheels when being moved. This makes it difficult to maneuver them in confined spaces and on uneven surfaces.